"Because I love you, too," she said softly.
Will waited no longer. With a groan, he pulled her against him, holding her as if he'd never let her go.
"I thought I'd lost you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "When you left— The way you left— These past days have been hell!"
Her arms were wrapped tightly around his midsection, the side of her face pressed against his chest. She admitted shakily, "For me, too. But I had to be sure, Will. I'd been through so much. Everything was so—"
"But you're sure now?" he interrupted, needing again to hear the words.
"I'm positive!" she swore. She drew back far enough to see his face and smile into those wonderful blue eyes. "I think I've loved you for a long, long time, Will. And I'll keep loving you forever."
She stretched up and Will bent low so their lips could finally meet in a kiss that left absolutely no room for doubt.
~~~~
"HOTDIGGITY!" ROBBIE EXCLAIMED as he and Sylvia hurried outside to greet the pair upon their return to the ranch house.
"Will! Cassie!" Sylvia's eyes darted from one glowing face to the other. "Is this meanin' what we think it means?"
Will tightened his arm around Cassie. "It's meanin' it," he confirmed.
"Oh! I'm so happy!" Sylvia cried, and hugged them both at the same time, while Robbie did a little jig similar to the one he'd performed upon hearing that Ray had agreed to sign the contract.
"Awright!" he cheered at the end of it and hurried to pump Will's hand and kiss Cassie's cheek. "'Bout time!" he added gruffly as he stepped back.
Sylvia hurried into speech, her smile beaming. "I saw you comin' from the kitchen window and couldn't be sure— But then you got closer, and I called Dad, and— Oh, this is just so wonderful! Let me get us some iced tea!"
"I'll help," Cassie volunteered. She didn't want to part from Will, but thought a moment alone with his mother would be a good idea.
Sylvia still wore a huge smile as she filled four glasses with ice, and stood aside for Cassie to pour the tea. "I'm so happy for both of you!" she said.
"I am, too." Cassie grinned, then posed seriously, "And you don't mind…about Bonnie? It's one thing to know someone and not mind that their mother is different. It's another thing entirely when that someone is, well, going to be in your family."
Sylvia reached for her hand, "Do you love Will?"
"I love him with all my heart," Cassie replied, her answer resonant with feeling.
"Then that's all that matters," Sylvia said and, smiling, drew her into another welcoming hug.
~~~~
"SO YOU FINALLY decided to listen to what I been telllin' ya all along," Robbie said, clapping his grandson on the back.
"I just had to find the right one, Granddad."
"Well, you got a good 'un in that little gal. She sure saved our bacon. When's the weddin' gonna be?"
"We don't want to rush things," Will said, then grinned as he added, "I'm hopin' sometime next month."
"Wanna get your brand on her quick, huh?"
"Don't let her hear you say that."
"Don't let who hear you say what?" Sylvia teased as she and Cassie rejoined the men outside under the shade tree. She winked at Cassie before offering the tray. "I wonder if they're talking about you or me?"
"We were talkin' about somethin' that's none 'a your business, woman," Robbie declared as he accepted a glass. "It's man stuff."
"Ooo!" Sylvia retorted. "Cassie and I will remember that the next time you two want to know what we're talkin' about."
Will's heart gave a funny little leap when, after taking a glass, Cassie slipped close in under his arm as he automatically lifted it. The action was so natural, so easy, and so significant. He couldn't believe his good fortune.
Considering his earlier desolation, everything that had happened since their interrupted supper had assumed a surreal, dreamlike quality. Yet he knew he wasn't dreaming. He could feel Cassie's warm body against him. Could imagine the wondrous sensations of being even closer to her. He took a quick gulp of tea.
"No, Will," his mother scolded. "You're supposed to wait for the toast."
Cassie giggled. It was the first time he had heard her do that. He grinned down at her like an idiot.
"To Cassie and Will!" Sylvia said, lifting her glass.
"And to the Old Home Place," Robbie added, lifting his glass as well. When Sylvia looked at him slightly askance, he explained, "If it weren't for the Old Home Place, Cassie wouldn't 'a come back in the first place."
"To the Old Home Place!" Will echoed, hoisting his glass.
"To the Home Place," Cassie agreed.
And they all took a long drink to happiness.
~~~~
SYLVIA AND ROBBIE were so delighted Cassie and Will sat with them, first under the shade tree and then on the front porch, until dusk began to fall. Only then did Cassie excuse herself to unpack. The chore wasn't big. She hadn't brought a lot with her because she hadn't been sure of the outcome. Hanging a few things up and putting the rest away in a drawer didn't take long.
Parting from Will had been the hardest. He'd walked her upstairs and they'd shared a long, passionate kiss outside the guest bedroom door, after which he'd told her he still had a few things to see to out back. Cassie didn't mind. The ranch was always going to have a call on his time. All that mattered was that she was here, and that Will very much wanted her to be.
She hugged the framed photo she'd made of her father before placing it on the table beside her bed. What would he think of what she'd chosen for her future? She had an idea he'd be happy.
Then her thoughts went back to what she and Will had discussed as they walked from the creek to the house: a wedding date. Once again, he'd said he didn't want her to feel rushed. But Cassie didn't. He was her one, just as she was his. And he'd been her one since the day he'd rescued her outside the post office.
~~~~
A LIGHT TAP sounded on Cassie's door sometime later, and delight washed over her that it might be Will.
It was.
"Mom and Granddad have called it a night. Wanna come sit on the porch with me?" he asked.
Cassie nodded. She would go anywhere with him.
The only place they could sit together was on the front steps.
"Gonna have to get us a porch swing," Will said as he settled his arm around her and she nestled her head against the crook of his shoulder.
"That would be nice," she murmured, "but this is nice, too."
"Darn right it's nice."
"I expected you to have to work longer."
"I found a few short cuts." He kissed the tip of her nose, then unable to resist, found the lips that were waiting for his.
Moments later, they were back where they'd started, his arm curled around her and her head against his shoulder.
"I've been thinking," she said into the silence. "How does a fall wedding sound?"
He laughed. "Too far away."
She chuckled. "What about late summer?"
"Still too far away."
"There are things to be done, Will, even for a small wedding." She jerked forward. "Oh my gosh! Jimmy! What am I going to do about Jimmy? I have to go back. I just can't walk out on my job. Not after—" She'd yet to tell Will the part Jimmy had played in transforming her life.
Will drew her back against him. "Your boss looked like a reasonable man to me. I'm bettin' he'll understand."
She frowned. "I'll still need to talk to him tomorrow. See what I can work out. Oh!" She almost jerked forward again, but stopped herself. "My mother! I need to find her early tomorrow, so I can tell her. I don't want her hearing about us from someone else. She'll say she's not surprised, though." Cassie smiled as she cocked her head. "Do you remember the honey cakes she gave us when we visited her that day? And how she quoted that little verse: Eat them when the moon is starting to rise, and you'll be together for the rest of your lives—something like that?
"I remember."
> "And how we stopped out by the creek and ate the honey cakes because we thought we were safe in broad daylight?"
"Are you tellin' me we weren't?"
The dry amusement in his question made her giggle. "When I got back into the truck, I looked out…and there it was. The moon rising in the daytime sky!"
Will shook from chuckling. "So your mom was right after all."
"Seems like."
They fell into a contented silence. Then contentedness took a back seat to love and attraction.
Finally, Will drew himself away from her.
"How 'bout next week for that weddin'?" he proposed huskily. "Mom's not goin' to put up with any cohabitatin' in her house until after a ceremony."
"A month, Will. Your mom would want us to take a month so she can plan out what she'll feed the guests. I could have the meal catered, but I don't think she'd be happy with that. And I need to find a dress. And shoes. And— There's lots to do!"
"All right," he agreed. "A month. That'll give me time to get the calves worked and the pasture fence I started puttin' up this week finished, along with a few other things. Then maybe we can take some time off and go on a honeymoon."
Of all people, Cassie knew the financial realities of the ranch. Even with the sale, every penny had a place to go. "Being here with you is enough, Will," she murmured. "I don't need more."
"What about our own house one day?" He motioned past the windmill in the direction of the state highway that led to Love. "We could build right over there. Close enough to this house to be part of the compound, but far enough away to give us a little privacy."
"Maybe one day. But right now, this is fine. I love your family, Will. I like being a part of it."
"Maybe we could build another room or two on the back here. For us. I want us to have our own space, Cassie. I think that's important."
"Our own set of rooms it is," Cassie agreed. She teased, "You know that will give your mom another spare room upstairs for visitors."
Will groaned and looked heavenward.
Then his playful gaze came back to her, where it changed as he studied her face in the starlight. He brushed back the short dark hairs that fell over her forehead and feathered onto her cheeks.
Huskily, he said, "I don't need anything else either, Cassie. Just you."
EPILOGUE
"THAT BOSS OF yours sure does know how to give a weddin' present," Will declared with a light laugh as he settled into the first-class airline seat next to Cassie's. They both glanced at the other passengers around them—men and women on business trips, a few who must be celebrities because of the way they talked and dressed, others who had to be high-ranking executives in one field or another.
"I told him a trip like this was too much," Cassie said, "and that was when I thought the tickets were in economy!"
"I get the feelin' he thinks a lot of you."
"I think a lot of him."
"He sure was proud to walk you down the aisle."
A flight attendant paused beside them. "Would you each like a pair of slippers?" she asked.
Will smiled at her. "Sure. Why not?"
"I'll bring them right away," she trilled, obviously having to make an effort to pull her eyes away from the ruggedly good-looking golden-haired cowboy who still wore jeans and boots and had only recently parted with his hat so it could be stored safely away in an overhead compartment.
Only Cassie knew that the boots were new, as was the hat, and that—courtesy of Sylvia—the jeans and striped western shirt were like new as well because they'd been put back over the past year for special occasions.
Another thing she knew was that their flight to Hawaii wasn't going to seem as long as they'd first thought. Not judging from the flight attendant's interest in Will. She'd probably be back as often as she could, just to look into those striking blue eyes.
Will brought Cassie's hand up to his lips and kissed the wedding band he'd placed there only the day before. He then compared it to his.
"Looks right," he said softly and gave her one of his slow smiles.
The flight attendant arrived with their slippers. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked him sweetly.
"You know, I'd really like to have some water," Will replied. "How 'bout you, Cassie?" He lifted Cassie's left hand to proudly show off the ring. "She's my wife."
The attendant didn't miss a beat. "Congratulations."
"I'll have water as well, thank you," Cassie said.
"How long have you been married?" the attendant asked.
"One whole day," Will replied.
"And you're going to Hawaii on your honeymoon. I envy you," she said with more real warmth than she'd showed up to that point and included Cassie in the conversation. "Let me bring you some champagne. You should celebrate!"
She was off again, only to be stopped by one of the celebrity-types who made a request sound like a demand.
Will shook his head. "Like I said, your boss sure knows how to give a gift."
"Setting me up at the ranch so I can keep working for him from there is a pretty nice gift, too."
"Better use for the guest room than to have more strangers botherin' us."
"Did I bother you?" she asked with mock innocence.
"You bothered the heck outta me from the first."
"Do I bother you now?"
His mouth curved. "If we weren't in an airplane, I'd show you how much you bother me."
"It won't be easy," she teased, "but I can wait. You have an entire week to show me."
"No cows, no horses, no fences to mend—" He frowned. "I wonder how it's all goin' back there."
"Just fine. Your mom and granddad are there, and Tim Hassat and his boys won't let you down. Your mom told me to tell you that, if you asked."
His frown turned into a rueful smile. "Won't mention it again," he promised.
They were laughing softly together when the attendant arrived with the champagne and two glasses. Will sipped a little bubbly and said, "You know? I could get used to this." He wiggled his sock-covered toes in the slippers.
Cassie wiggled hers as well. "Me, too," she agreed.
Once they finished their drinks, Will lowered the back of his seat a little to match Cassie's, who'd already settled hers into a more comfortable position. Then he rolled his head to look at her, his eyes warm with love.
"Mrs. Will Taylor," he whispered.
"Mr. Will Taylor," she whispered back.
And when the flight attendant paused beside them again to offer yet another amenity, she quelled what she'd been about to say, and smiling enviously to herself, moved away to leave them alone.
Neither Will nor Cassie noticed.
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed LOVE, TEXAS, I’d be very grateful if you would tell others about it by writing an honest review on your favorite ebookseller and review sites. Share the Love, so to say!
Also, if you would like updates on upcoming releases, you can email me at [email protected], and I’ll add you to my mailing list. I love to hear from readers and will answer you as soon as I can.
Ginger
p.s. No matter how many times a book is read, there’s always a chance a mistake can slip through. If you find such a mistake in this book, please let me know and I will correct it. Again, just email me at [email protected]
About the Author
Ginger Chambers is the bestselling author of 33 books sold throughout the world. At Harlequin, she has written for American Romance, Superromance, and the Tyler I and II continuity series. At Dell Publishing, she has written for Candlelight Romance, Ecstasy, and Ecstasy Supreme lines. A native-born Texan, Ginger grew up loving cowboys and the American West. Many of her books reflect that love. She now lives with her husband in California.
Other eBooks published by Ginger Chambers:
Coming soon: CALL IT LOVE, Contemporary Romance
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com
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